Senators beat Bruins 1-0, take 3-1 lead in series

Boston is 0-22 when trailing 3-1 in a seven-game series, according to STATS, Inc.

The Ottawa Senators have the Boston Bruins down and only one loss away from being out. They got their first powerplay of the game as Alexandre Burrows sat for interference. He'll likely need to skate before he can suit up, so it will be interesting to see if he's healthy enough to hit the ice Friday at the Canadian Tire Centre prior to Game 5. "They're going to be at their most desperate - they were desperate yesterday and they're going to be even more desperate the next game, so we have to be extremely ready and prepared for it".

The Senators can clinch the series at home Friday in Game 5.

"We weren't as sharp as we needed to be, but we stuck with it and Andy played huge for us", said Karlsson.

Ottawa forward Kyle Turris agreed that the team can't get too far ahead of itself. Both Rask and Anderson stood up to breakaways in the first half of the first period.

Wednesday night's 1-0 victory gave the Sens a 7-1 record against Boston this season.

"There's always a game or two in the series where it's like chess".

The Ottawa Senators pushed the Boston Bruins to the brink of elimination with a 1-0 victory in a tight-checking Game 4 of their first-round playoff series on Wednesday night.

With the Bruins defence decimated by injuries - three of their top four defencemen are out - Karlsson has been freer than usual to work his magic.

It was Ryan's team-leading third goal of the series, while Karlsson picked up his 20th career playoff assist, tying Martin Havlat for the sixth-most in franchise history. McAvoy, who played 1:51 of the Bruins' lone power play in Game 4, has slotted into Krug's spot at the point, as the "quarterback" of the man advantage. Ryan pulled it from his backhand to his forehand and swiped at it as Zdeno Chara dove behind Rask into the crease to try to knock the puck away from the goal line.

Ryan slipped the puck past Tuukka Rask and Zdeno Chara, the tallest man ever to play in the National Hockey League, couldn't prevent it from crawling over the goal line with his dive. "Whether it's the Crosbys, or Johnny Tavares and those guys, or its Erik ... that's what makes them those guys".

"Johnny Bower ... When I was in junior, I had Johnny Bower for a day and that was the story, the first time he ever came out sliding at a guy, he was nervous and I was nervous, I'm just glad it worked out", said Anderson.

"No, I don't think so", Cassidy said during Thursday's media availability at Warrior Ice Arena. "He's a big body, and (that goal) ends up being a difference in the game".

Anderson made his best stop of the period on a frustrated Brad Marchand with a couple of minutes to go in the period. "He shut it down for us, and we found a way to score a goal".

But the Sens are expecting the Bruins to again come out storming, this time with their season on the line.

While he's listed as day-to-day, there are no signs that the rugged defenceman is going to return anytime soon after he sat out his second straight game with a leg injury suffered in Game 2. Senators F Ryan Dzingel was asked about the rowdy fans and the atmosphere at TD Garden and said, with a laugh, "I grew up in Chicago so I never really liked you guys in the first place.".

If Ryan can continue to generate offense and help get the puck past Boston's Tuukka Rask, this Ottawa team has a solid chance at moving on to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.